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THE Mayor of New York, Mr Michael R. Bloomberg, has gone ahead and done something which, one can be sure, would not endear him to elected officials not only in his own country but the world over. He has published a report card on his performance as a Mayor since he took charge over a year ago. Besides tabulating the promises he made and detailing the extent to which he had been able to keep them, he has also tried to give a professional and objective evaluation of the state and quality of the civic services under his jurisdiction. In doing so, he has not hesitated to take the blame for failures and omissions.

For instance, he took office in a blaze of publicity surrounding his declaration not to jack up taxes, but very soon he had to swallow his own words when the financial abyss into which the city had sunk left him with no other option. In this predicament, of course, he has good company. Hasty commitment and leisurely repentance have been the lot of persons facing or winning elections: Remember, the senior Mr George Bush, when asked, while running for President, whether he would go in for new taxes, said grandiloquently, "Read my lips!" silently forming the word "No new taxes"? No sooner did he say so, than he had to go back on it. Around that time, the Republican Party of which he was a leading luminary, brought out with great fanfare a Contract with America undertaking to carry out a variety of reforms in the political, economic, social and other areas. The Contract soon faded from public memory with none the wiser for it!

It is clear that elected functionaries and candidates for elective posts will find it hard to cope if the demand builds up that they should all emulate Mr Bloomberg. After all, it is a well-understood axiom everywhere in the world that politicians have the undisputed right and undoubted prerogative to hoodwink their voters with tall promises without any fear of being called to account. Where will all of them stand if they have to be giving periodical score cards on their record under various heads? The quick answer is that they will not have a leg to stand on!

For that reason alone, it is not a bad idea at all as it will instil in them a much needed sense of responsibility and accountability. At the very least, manifestoes of political parties and candidates should be accompanied by a report of action taken by them on the promises made by them in the previous election. There should be strict enforcement of a system whereby MPs and MLAs are required to render an account for the schemes on which the fat amounts each of them receives from public exchequer have been spent.

In short, citizens, taxpayers and voters should no longer put up with a situation where they allow themselves to be made suckers of by those who are elected to serve them. In that sense, Mr Bloomberg has blazed a new trail which, if it catches on, will really make a tremendous difference to the quality of governance.

B.S. Raghavan

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